TODAY'S EDITORIAL: Chincoteague tradition a slice of Americana

Saltwater cowboys, a lovely setting and a point of pride

Frances Bidoglio, 99, reaches out to pet the buyback Chincoteague Pony she won at auction on Thursday. Bidoglio has been attending the Chincoteague pony auction for 20 years and will name her pony Grandma's Dream.

The highest honor in children's literature is the Newberry Medal. Anytime you see that emblem on a book cover, you know it is of great value for your kids to read.

So many of the Newberry Medal winners touch on important aspects of American life. That's very much the case with "Misty of Chincoteague" by Marguerite Henry, a 1947 children's book that was so awarded.

The wonder depicted by Henry in "Misty" (and in a 1960s film based on the same) comes to life each July off of Chincoteague, where the annual Pony Penning took place this week. This isn't merely a tradition; it is a spectacle.

It's impossible to look at the photos or video on DelmarvaNow.com and not be struck by how much the scenes seem like something out of a fairy tale or out of Hollywood. Even the term "saltwater cowboy" seems drawn from the stuff of legend.

But the annual event is real and it is here on the Delmarva Peninsula, drawing crowds and generating wonder each and every year. You do not need to know the slightest thing about ponies or auctions to learn quickly how important an event this is in Eastern Virginia. It is like a county fair times 10, anticipated by young and old alike.

It is yet another reminder of the quality of life we share in this neck of the woods. We do not need large cities and traffic jams to be validated as an "important place." Here on the peninsula, we have our passions and we have our traditions and we uphold them time and again, passing on the best of our region and ourselves from generation to generation.

Those directly involved do a remarkable job for what really is a lot of work to swim the ponies across the water and then auction them off. Organizationally, this is one complex endeavor. They do the entire region a favor by maintaining a tradition that draws tourists from near and far, boosting the overall regional economy. It is a tradition that puts Virginia's Eastern Shore on the mental map of millions of people in ways it wouldn't otherwise be. A price cannot be put on exactly how valuable that is, although business owners in the region might hazard a guess.

The others who would certainly place a value on the pony penning are the charities that benefit from sale of the buyback ponies.

As you read this, the unclaimed ponies may well have swum back to the island to roam free by the seashore. The crowds will have dissipated and the excitement will have died down.

But none who saw it will soon forget the energy, the excitement and the beauty of the Chincoteague Pony Penning. If you could give an event a medal, this one most certainly deserves it.

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TODAY'S EDITORIAL: Chincoteague tradition a slice of Americana

The highest honor in children's literature is the Newberry Medal. Anytime you see that emblem on a book cover, you know it is of great value for your kids to read.